The Wyoming Cowboys football team is preparing for its annual spring game, which will take place Saturday at War Memorial Stadium, head coach Jay Sawvel said on April 24. The event follows a spirited practice session where Sawvel had to intervene after two defensive players showed excessive force during drills.
The spring game serves as an important opportunity for coaches and fans to observe the development of key positions ahead of the upcoming season. With new offensive coordinator Christian Taylor and several young players competing for starting roles, the event is expected to showcase changes in both strategy and personnel.
Quarterback Tyler Hughes and Mason Drube are set to take all snaps during the scrimmage. Defensive ends coach Brian Hendricks said, “Between the new buck (Hughes) that we have to Drube, those guys create plays, they extend plays. When there’s a designed play for them, they do what they’re supposed to, but when things break down, they do the undesigned. That’s what makes it so difficult to defend. It’s very refreshing.” Taylor also commented on their progress: “They’ve done a great job of making daily progress. I thought at the beginning of the (previous) scrimmage they started slow, probably the whole offense started slow, but after that 2-minute (period) they picked it up.”
Cornerbacks coach JB Hall highlighted his work with younger players such as Tyson Shamsid-Deen and Kendall Griffin: “We have the opportunity to kind of mold those guys and develop them because there’s no bad habits quite yet,” Hall said. He added that mistakes are part of learning but praised their collective effort in taking coaching seriously.
On defense, coordinator Aaron Bohl discussed player rotations at cornerback: “I’ve seen a lot of guys that are improving each day. Coach Hall has done a really good job and brought a lot of energy to them,” Bohl said on the One Wyoming Podcast.
Wide receiver competition remains open heading into fall camp with several athletes vying for spots in rotation including Deion DeBlanc in slot position and returners like Charlie Coenen and Jackson Holman also contending alongside newcomers Justin Popovich and redshirt freshmen Pierre Jackson and Ke’Lyn Washom.
Sawvel summed up expectations by saying: “We’ve got a number of receivers that need to have a good day and show up… We’ve got corners that this is a big deal for.” Hall noted Shamsid-Deen’s versatility playing both cornerback in defense and wide receiver in offense: “As long as we’re winning games, we can use that guy as much as possible… So when he does have that opportunity to go make a play with the ball in his hands just watch out. He’s a good player.”
